Time and time again I see men trying on belts at my business. Many people put a belt on their waist and immediately pull it so tight that their trousers gap all around. They are not sure on what hole they should wear the belt. They also don’t know how much extra overlap they should have when the belt is closed. They don’t know the correct fit or size they need. It really will not matter what the material the belt is made out of. It can be basic leather or an exotic skin, such as, crocodile.
The first thing to do is to know your waist size. Of course, we all like to cheat on that one, but usually and for example, if you are a 34 inch waist you could take a 36 inch belt or a 34 inch belt depending on how the belt is measured by the manufacturer.
Some companies measure their belts from end to end. Others measure from the end to the start of the buckle. Still there is a third method of measuring from the middle hole of the hole choices to the start of the buckle. In my experience this last technique of measuring a belt is the best. It not only gets you the right size belt, but because you start measuring at the middle hole you will be getting the correct fit.
What do I mean by fit? When wearing a belt you want it to sit at the proper place on the trouser and to have some overlap of end of the tip to reach under the next belt loop. This way any extra will be held down and not flap around. If you measure from the middle hole there will be the exact amount of overlap to reach the next belt loop with a small amount of tip peering out. Usually 2-3 inches will overlap under the next available loop. This fitting will give your belt and trousers a perfect presentation.
Next time you are in the market to purchase a belt remember to get your waist size correct and then choose a belt that measures your waist size from the center hole to start of buckle. If your body changes over time you will still have flexibility of two holes on either side of center to adjust. Let’s just hope the adjustment isn’t going in the larger direction.